Superman Has a New Canon Weakness, Deadlier Than Kryptonite

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Superman #5 Kryptonite screaming in pain

Published May 13, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT

TJ Mills is an editor on ScreenRant's Comic team, where she combines her lifelong passion for DC with her analytical background as a former Intelligence Analyst. Since joining ScreenRant in 2023, she has specialized in covering major DC storylines, character evolutions, and industry developments.

For 88 years, Superman’s most defining weakness has been Kryptonite. In fact, this vulnerability has become nearly as famous as the Man of Steel himself, even working its way into everyday English as shorthand for a fatal flaw. However, longtime fans know that Kryptonite isn't the only thing that can bring the hero down. The Kryptonian is also notably vulnerable to red sun radiation and magic. Now, fans can add another weakness to the ever-growing list, and it may be even deadlier than Kryptonite itself.

While Kryptonite, red sun radiation, and magic are Superman’s most well-known weaknesses, DC creatives are always looking for new ways to challenge the Man of Steel. Sometimes that means introducing a new variant of Kryptonite, as seen in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum (2025). Other times, writers rely on mental attacks and telepathy, or even, at times, they turn Superman’s greatest strength against him, his morality, or devise some other elaborate scenario that can temporarily level the playing field against DC’s most powerful hero.

Now, Superman veteran and all-star writer Mark Waid is introducing a completely new, never-before-seen weakness to the list, and he is doing so by going back in time. Waid’s ongoing Action Comics run has been widely praised, with the defining feature of his current story arc being that it takes place during Clark Kent’s early days as Superboy.

Fans of Waid know that the writer is a master at connecting his various ongoing titles. Because of that, this story, despite being set in the past, still ties directly into DC’s present-day narratives. That means when Waid introduces the “Kryptonian Force,” Superman’s latest weakness, it is something readers should pay close attention to.

Superman’s New Canon Weakness Explained: The Kryptonian Force

Comic Page Comes From Mark Waid’s Action Comics #1098 (2026) - Art by Skylar Patridge & Patricio Delpeche

Action Comics #1098, written by Mark Waid with art by Skylar Patridge and Patricio Delpeche, explores some of the fallout from DC’s recently concluded crisis event, DC K.O.. The event saw heroes and villains across the DC Universe forced into brutal, tournament-style deathmatches so that a single champion could accumulate enough Omega Energy to confront Darkseid in his King Omega form. Superman ultimately became that champion. However, after defeating Darkseid and saving the universe, the Man of Steel mysteriously disappeared.

Action Comics #1098 cover showing superman and the justice league

Now, Mary Marvel, Booster Gold, and Martian Manhunter have set out to locate him. Their search leads them into the past, specifically to Clark Kent’s days as Superboy, where they hope to uncover clues that might explain Superman’s present-day disappearance. However, their attempt to question the young hero is interrupted by the time-traveling villain Epoch, the self-proclaimed Lord of Time, who intends to kill Clark before he can grow into Superman.

As part of his plan, Epoch steals the spaceship that carried the infant Clark from Krypton to Earth. With the ship now in the villain’s possession, Superboy, Martian Manhunter, Mary Marvel, and Booster Gold race to track him down before he can weaponize the Kryptonian craft against the teenage hero.

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Before he was Clark Kent, Superman was born Kal-El on a distant planet doomed to destruction. His parents Jor-El and Lara placed him in a rocket ship as an infant, sending him across the cosmos to Earth. What is the name of Superman’s home planet?

AThanagar BKrypton CApokolips DOa

✓ Correct! Krypton was a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. Jor-El, Superman’s father, was the only scientist who foresaw the catastrophe and managed to save his son by launching him toward Earth in a small spacecraft.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Krypton. Thanagar is Hawkman’s homeworld, Apokolips is Darkseid’s domain, and Oa is the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Krypton’s destruction is the defining event of Superman’s origin story.

Superman’s greatest love is a fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. She’s known for her relentless pursuit of the truth and for being one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man. Who is she?

ADiana Prince BLana Lang CLois Lane DCat Grant

✓ Correct! Lois Lane has been Superman’s primary love interest since her debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. A brilliant investigative reporter, she’s as iconic as Superman himself — tough, smart, and unafraid to chase the biggest stories in Metropolis.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lois Lane. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Lana Lang is Clark’s high school sweetheart from Smallville, and Cat Grant is a gossip columnist at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is Superman’s iconic partner.

Despite being nearly invulnerable under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman has one famous weakness — a radioactive mineral from the remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. What is this substance called?

AKryptonite BVibranium CNth Metal DRed Sun Ore

✓ Correct! Kryptonite is the irradiated remnants of planet Krypton. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, but there are many other types — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Kryptonite. Vibranium is from Marvel’s Black Panther universe, Nth Metal is tied to Hawkman, and Red Sun Ore isn’t a real DC substance. Kryptonite is the iconic green-glowing mineral that is Superman’s ultimate weakness.

In 1978, a then-unknown actor donned the cape and made the world believe a man could fly. His portrayal of Superman became the gold standard for superhero films and he starred in four Superman movies. Who is this legendary actor?

AHenry Cavill BBrandon Routh CTom Welling DChristopher Reeve

✓ Correct! Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in Superman: The Movie (1978) is widely regarded as the definitive live-action Superman. His performance perfectly balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting the template every Superman actor has followed since.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill played Superman in the DCEU starting with Man of Steel (2013), Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns (2006), and Tom Welling played young Clark in TV’s Smallville. Reeve was the original big-screen Superman.

Superman’s greatest enemy isn’t a superpowered alien — he’s a brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. This bald-headed genius has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years. Who is he?

ABrainiac BLex Luthor CDarkseid DDoomsday

✓ Correct! Lex Luthor is the ultimate foil to Superman — where Superman represents hope and selflessness, Luthor represents ambition and ego. Despite having no superpowers, his genius-level intellect and vast resources make him Superman’s most persistent and dangerous adversary.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lex Luthor. Brainiac is an alien android who collects cities, Darkseid is the god-like ruler of Apokolips, and Doomsday is the monster who famously killed Superman. But Lex Luthor is the definitive archenemy — Superman’s dark mirror.

After crash-landing on Earth as a baby, Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind farming couple. They raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town. Where did Clark Kent grow up?

AGotham City BMetropolis CSmallville, Kansas DCoast City

✓ Correct! Smallville, Kansas is the quintessential American small town where Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark with heartland values of honesty, compassion, and humility. It’s the foundation of who Superman is — not the powers from Krypton, but the character instilled by his Kansas parents.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Smallville, Kansas. Gotham is Batman’s city, Metropolis is where Clark moves as an adult to work at the Daily Planet, and Coast City is Green Lantern’s home. Smallville is where the Kents raised Clark on their farm.

As Clark Kent, Superman disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter working at Metropolis’s most famous newspaper, alongside Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Their editor-in-chief Perry White runs the newsroom. What is the name of this newspaper?

ADaily Planet BDaily Bugle CMetropolis Star DGotham Gazette

✓ Correct! The Daily Planet, with its iconic globe on the rooftop, is one of the most recognizable fictional newspapers in pop culture. Working there gives Clark Kent both a cover identity and a way to stay informed about threats to the city and the world.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is the Daily Planet. The Daily Bugle is Spider-Man’s Marvel universe newspaper, the Metropolis Star and Gotham Gazette are lesser DC publications. The Daily Planet — with its spinning globe — is Superman’s journalistic home.

This Kryptonian military commander was banished to the Phantom Zone for treason before Krypton’s destruction. He escaped and came to Earth seeking vengeance, famously demanding that others “Kneel before” him. His iconic portrayal by Terence Stamp cemented him in pop culture. Who is this villain?

ABizarro BParasite CMetallo DGeneral Zod

✓ Correct! General Zod is one of Superman’s most terrifying foes because he has all of Superman’s powers but none of his morality. Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II (1980) made “Kneel before Zod” one of the most quoted villain lines in film history. Michael Shannon later reimagined the role in Man of Steel (2013).

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is General Zod. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman, Parasite drains powers through touch, and Metallo is a cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. General Zod is the Kryptonian military leader whose cry of “Kneel before Zod!” echoes through decades of Superman stories.

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The team eventually locates Epoch hiding inside a farmhouse, where he has already dismantled the spacecraft and has supposedly extracted exactly what he needs to kill Superboy. To learn more about the weapon without putting Clark in immediate danger, the heroes devise a risky plan. Martian Manhunter will burst into the building disguised as Superboy, taking the initial attack while simultaneously revealing Epoch's weapon.

When Martian Manhunter crashes through the farmhouse roof, shapeshifted into Superboy, Epoch takes the bait. The villain fires a blast at him that merely “tickles” the Martian hero. Still believing he is facing the real Superboy, Epoch reacts in disbelief and reveals exactly what he used, shouting, “How can you…? That’s Kryptonian Force! Should have killed you!”

At that moment, readers are introduced to something that should have killed Clark instantly, revealing a brand-new weakness for Superman. However, many questions remain unanswered. The story has yet to clearly define what the mysterious “Kryptonian Force” actually is or how it works within the DC Universe. For now, fans will have to wait for the next issue of Action Comics to learn exactly what this power is, why it's so deadly to Superman, and how it differs from Kryptonite.

Action Comics #1098 from DC Comics is now available to read!